by Dilly Court
Constance rose from the table, glaring at him. ‘No we won’t. You are a wanted man and I have all the money. You can rot in hell, for all I care. Percy and I are in love and as soon as I’m a free woman I intend to marry him.’
‘What?’ Duke leaped to his feet, spilling his glass of wine so that it pooled like blood on the white damask cloth. ‘You dare to say that to me?’
Lisette slammed her hand on the table. ‘Silence! I won’t have this squabbling. Take your marital tiffs to the privacy of your room.’
‘That we will do.’ Duke grabbed Constance by the arm. ‘We’ll settle this once and for all. When I’m done you won’t have just cause for an annulment.’
‘Let her go, Duke.’ Percy was already on his feet and he skirted the table, making a lunge at Duke, who sidestepped neatly.
‘Keep out of this, Talavera. Constance is my wife.’
Nettie could see a fight ensuing and she managed to get between Constance and Duke, prising his hand from her friend’s arm. ‘This isn’t the way, Duke,’ she said in a low voice. ‘I would have thought you have more imminent concerns than a quarrel with Constance.’
Byron leaped to his feet. ‘Wegg has probably telegraphed London as to your whereabouts by now. I’d say you have two or maybe three days to get away from here, unless the Spanish police agree to arrest you.’
‘They’ll take Robert, too,’ Duke said spitefully. ‘I could deny all culpability and say that I bought the copies in good faith from him. He’s the one who painted the fakes.’
Robert shook his head. ‘I know now that what I did was wrong. I should have realised what you were doing, Duke, but I’m prepared to take my punishment.’
‘What sort of man are you, Robert Carroll?’ Lisette demanded. ‘Do you lie down like a whipped dog simply because this man tells you to?’
‘It wasn’t your fault, Pa.’ Nettie turned to him with tears in her eyes. ‘You believed Duke when he said he was going to sell your work as genuine copies.’
‘I’m sorry, my dear. I’m afraid I let you down badly. Perhaps I should have done something else, swept the streets or collected night soil – anything to keep food on the table and pay the rent.’
‘No, Pa. You’re a brilliant artist. Duke took advantage of you.’
‘That’s right,’ Duke said, curling his lip. ‘Blame everything on me.’
‘Well, you are at the bottom of this. You persuaded me to marry you. I didn’t want to, but you left me little choice,’ Constance said bitterly. ‘And you put all your money in my name because you knew that Wegg was after you. Well, Duke, it’s mine legally and there’s nothing you can do about it.’
Percy slipped his arm around her shoulders, ousting Duke completely. ‘We’re in love, Mama, and we’re leaving, and I think you should come with us. I wouldn’t want to leave you here to face bankruptcy.’
Duke backed away and snatched a sword from where it hung on the wall. ‘You are going nowhere, Constance, unless it is with me.’ He pointed it at her heart. ‘Do you understand?’
Chapter Thirteen
Percy tried to grab the sword, but Duke turned on him. ‘Get out of my way.’
Lisette rose from the table, lifted her glass and with a flick of her slender wrist she aimed the stream of wine at Duke’s face. He dropped the weapon as he raised his hand to wipe his eyes, and Percy snatched it up.
‘That’s enough.’ Byron stepped forward. ‘On behalf of my mother and my brother I’m telling you to leave the castle immediately. Pack your things, take your horse and go.’
Duke wiped his streaming face on a napkin. ‘I’m still her legal husband. Constance comes with me.’
‘No.’ Constance shook her head. ‘We were never married in the true sense of the word. I might be your wife on paper, but that is going to change. I think you’re forgetting that you signed everything over to me.’
Duke gave her a pitying look. ‘Do you think I’m so stupid as to entrust my money to a silly child?’
‘You said you put all your money and property in my name.’
‘I lied in order to make you feel secure. In fact, I now own everything, including your father’s former house in Paris and the gallery. Without me you have nothing – you are nothing.’
Constance raised her hand and slapped his face, leaving the reddening outline of her fingers on his left cheek. ‘You are the worst type of libertine, Duke Dexter. I would rather die than go with you.’
‘Very well. You’ve had your chance.’ Duke bowed to Lisette. ‘It’s been a pleasure, but I must go. However, being a gentleman, I’ll leave the Botticelli with you as a reminder of our time together.’ He pointed at the painting, which was still propped up against a chair.
Lisette moved swiftly with cat-like grace, seized the canvas, and smashed it over Duke’s head.
There was a horrified silence as everyone stared at the sight of Duke’s shocked expression as he stood with the ruined painting hanging around his neck like a bizarre collar. With an angry roar he freed himself from the gilt frame and threw it across the room.
‘Don’t think for a moment that you’ll get away with this. If I’m caught I’ll make sure that you are all charged with aiding and abetting a felon.’
There was a moment of stunned silence as he stormed out of the room, and then Nettie began to laugh. ‘Oh, dear,’ she said breathlessly. ‘He did deserve that, but your poor painting, Condesa. You loved it so much.’
Lisette resumed her seat and reached for her glass of wine. ‘My friend Robert will make me another copy, but not yet.’
Robert moved to her side. ‘You may depend upon me.’
She gave him a wan smile. ‘Dexter was right about one thing: we must all leave here as soon as possible. I don’t know where I’ll go, but I hope my two handsome sons will stand by me.’
‘You should have told me that you were in difficulties, Mama,’ Percy said slowly. ‘I will sell the castle and we can buy something smaller and live quite comfortably.’
Nettie glanced anxiously at Byron, but his attention was fixed on his mother.
‘Our mother has something to tell you, Percy.’
‘What else could there be?’ Percy’s smile faded. ‘Why so serious, Mama?’
‘You know now that Talavera wasn’t your father, Percy. All this will go to one of Talavera’s relatives, or what’s left of it after the creditors have been paid. The money might be gone, but you have a brother. That must count for something.’
‘All these years I’ve been living a lie,’ Percy said angrily. ‘Why didn’t you tell me the truth, Ma? And why did you allow Talavera to think I was his son?’
‘I’m, sorry, Percy. It was a cruel deception, but I was afraid that Talavera would abandon us if he knew the truth.’
‘He was a good man,’ Percy said angrily. ‘He didn’t deserve to have another man’s child foisted upon him.’
‘You’re right.’ Lisette’s bottom lip trembled. ‘But you are a man – you don’t know how hard life is for a woman on her own, and Talavera loved you as if you were his son.’
‘But not enough to leave the castle to me. Now we’re all but bankrupt. Is there anything else you haven’t told me?’
Byron slid his arm around his brother’s shoulders. ‘Steady on, old man.’
‘I’m truly sorry, Percy.’ Lisette dashed a tear away. ‘I know I’ve treated both my sons badly.’
‘When I started out on this venture I was looking for my mother,’ Byron said slowly. ‘I didn’t know that I had a brother. I know how you feel, Percy, because it came as a shock to me too.’
Percy shook his head. ‘That’s putting it mildly. I don’t know who I am now.’
‘You are my brother and we’re a proper family,’ Byron said firmly. ‘We might have nothing, but we have each other.’
Constance leaned over to caress Percy’s cheek. ‘I don’t care if you are poor – so am I. We will be poor together.’
‘Well said, Constance.’ Robert ro
se to his feet, applauding loudly. ‘I feel somewhat responsible for your present position, Lisette. You thought the Botticelli was genuine and all the time it was just a copy, but I will do my best to make things right. I will set up a studio somewhere else, and I’ll work until my debt to you is paid in full.’
‘We’re all with you, Lisette,’ Nettie said earnestly. ‘But if we leave here, where will we go?’
‘Somewhere that Wegg would never think of looking.’ Robert sat down again and refilled his glass.
Nettie thought for a moment and then she smiled. ‘We should go home.’
Her father gazed at her in surprise. ‘To London?’
‘Yes, exactly. That’s the last place that Wegg or the police would think of looking for us. They’ll think we’re still hiding away on the Continent.’
‘But I won’t be able to work, Nettie. How can I sell my paintings without alerting the authorities?’
‘I don’t know, Pa. But has anyone a better idea?’
‘Nettie’s right,’ Byron said, nodding. ‘It’s easy to lose oneself in the city, and I’m sure it’s Duke that Wegg really wants to ruin, not you, sir. Even if you were arrested, a good lawyer might be able to convince a court that you were duped into making the copies, and you put your trust in Duke.’
‘Maybe I should face up to what I’ve done. If nothing else, I was a fool.’ Robert sighed, staring into the ruby-red wine as he swirled it around the glass. ‘I do miss London.’
‘What about you, Ma?’ Byron eyed his mother doubtfully. ‘What about all this?’ He encompassed the room and all its trappings with a wave of his hands.
‘It doesn’t belong to me, my son. It never has, but I’ve enjoyed every minute of my life here.’ Lisette sank back on her seat. ‘I’ve been rich and I’ve been poor, but now I have my two sons with me. What more could I want?’
Percy eyed her suspiciously. ‘You say that, Mama. You didn’t give much thought to either of us until now.’
‘I know I’ve been a selfish woman, but I meant it, Percy. I can’t help the way I was made, but I’ll try to be a better person.’
‘The main thing is to decide what to do next,’ Nettie said firmly.
Lisette sighed, shaking her head. ‘I was born a river gypsy, and it’s in my soul. Maybe we could live in a boat again one day.’
‘What about Don Julio?’ Robert asked tentatively. ‘You seemed to be very close. Wouldn’t he help you?’
‘Julio has a wife and children. We were simply amusing ourselves.’ Lisette shot a sideways glance at Robert. ‘I suppose you disapprove.’
He shrugged. ‘It was nothing to do with me. You live your life as you please, Condesa.’
‘Lisette,’ she corrected, smiling. ‘I am no longer a condesa.’
‘And I am neither a wife nor a single woman,’ Constance said angrily. ‘What a fool I was to believe Duke. Now he’s taken everything from me.’
Percy went down on one knee at her side. ‘I’ll take care of you, my love. We’ll make a life for ourselves and you’ll forget all this.’
‘You are so good to me, Percy.’ Constance wrapped her arms around him.
‘There’s still the question of money,’ Nettie said firmly. ‘We have to pay our fares and then we’ll have to find accommodation.’
‘My daughter – ever practical,’ Robert smiled fondly. ‘I wish I could help, but I have nothing.’
Byron turned to his mother. ‘Is there anything of value left, Mama?’
‘I have my jewels. At least they belong to me, and they should be worth enough to get us to England.’
‘I’ll admit all this has come as a shock, but we have to be practical.’ Percy rose to his feet. ‘When we get to London I’ll find work. My expensive education won’t be wasted.’
‘You were sent down, old boy,’ Byron said, chuckling. ‘That won’t get you far.’
Percy cuffed him round the ear, but it was a playful gesture. ‘I’ll train to be a lawyer and you can be my clerk.’
‘That’s settled then.’ Lisette rose to her feet, holding up her glass. ‘We’ll drink to the future. Here’s to London and a new life.’
The sun was rising in a fireball next morning as they rode single file into the pine forest. Diego accompanied them, leading two donkeys laden with their luggage, which had been kept to a minimum. If Lisette had misgivings about leaving her extensive wardrobe, and the home she had created, she did not complain. Nettie suspected that perhaps the condesa’s old life had begun to lose its sparkle, and that the gypsy in her heart had come to the fore.
This was the beginning of a journey that would be fraught with difficulties and danger, but Nettie felt almost ridiculously optimistic. She had not realised how much she missed London, despite the privations they had suffered during the hard times. The sights, the sounds, the familiar accents and even the stark contrast between the rich and the poor, all these things made up the city where she had been born and bred, and now she could not wait to get home.
They travelled for three days, stopping as they had before at small inns where Lisette acted the part of the condesa, and had the landlords fawning upon her and the servants eager to please such a grand lady.
When they reached Perpignan the horses were sold, Diego was paid off and they parted from him with genuine regret. Lisette, aided by Byron, dealt with a jeweller in a backstreet and persuaded him to purchase enough of her jewels to pay for train tickets that would take them all the way to Calais. Despite the fact that they were supposed to be economising, she insisted that they must travel first class, endearing herself even more to Robert, who approved wholeheartedly.
‘I refuse to share a compartment with peasants stinking of garlic and tobacco smoke,’ she said as Robert handed her into the carriage. ‘And that person is taking a pig into third class. Either that or she has a very ugly child.’
Nettie exchanged amused glances with Byron, and Percy made pig noises, which made Constance giggle. To the astonishment of the porter who had been left to carry their luggage, they fell into their compartment collapsing on the richly upholstered seats in hysterics. Nettie wiped her eyes on her sleeve, wishing that she had thought to bring a hanky, but travelling light meant bringing only the barest of necessities, and their clothes were already travel-stained.
There were several changes, according to the different railway companies that operated the lines, and they slept as best they could, either in the carriage or, at worst, on the hard wooden seats in the station waiting rooms. They arrived in Calais late one evening and Lisette insisted on taking rooms at a small hotel near the harbour, declaring that another night of interrupted sleep would be the death of her. No one believed that, but when they were shown to rooms containing feather beds, clean linen and the first opportunity to have a proper wash since they had left the castle, there was not a single protest. After a good meal and several glasses of wine, Nettie was ready for bed, and even though she had to share with Constance, she had no difficulty in falling into a deep and dreamless sleep.
Next morning Nettie was up early and was surprised to find Lisette and Byron already at breakfast in the small dining room. Lisette put down her cup and greeted Nettie with a genuine smile of pleasure.
‘You’re just in time to accompany Byron and me. The landlord said that there’s a jeweller’s shop not far from here. You can come with us, if you wish.’
‘I will,’ Nettie said eagerly. ‘But it seems a shame that you have to sell all your jewels. I’m sure that Pa feels as awkward as I do about taking your money.’
‘Nonsense. We’re in this together. Enjoy your breakfast and we’ll be off before the others wake up. They don’t need to know.’
The jeweller’s shop was so small that Nettie chose to wait outside, even though it had started to rain. She sheltered beneath the overhang, watching the raindrops evaporate in small hisses of steam as they hit the hot pavement. It was a summer shower and over quickly, leaving the air heavy and humid. Each breath felt labo
ured and clouds of flies swarmed around the detritus in the gutters and the steaming piles of horse dung on the cobbled street. Nettie turned with a start as the shop door opened and Lisette and Byron emerged from the dark interior, blinking as their eyes grew accustomed to the bright light.
‘What’s the matter?’ Nettie demanded anxiously. ‘Didn’t he want to buy anything?’
‘They’re all fake,’ Lisette said angrily. ‘Talavera gave me jewels made of paste. They’re the sort of imitation gems that actors wear on stage, and I was fooled by them.’
‘But you sold some in Perpignan.’
‘Apparently they were real. The diamond earrings and pearl necklace were the presents that Talavera gave me when I was the toast of the Parisian nightclubs. He cheated me, and I’m glad he’s dead.’ She marched off, with her head held high.
Nettie turned to Byron. ‘What will we do now?’
‘The jeweller bought a couple of things, and I think there is enough to settle the hotel bill. I’m not sure about the crossing to Dover. We might have to swim,’ he added with a wry smile.
‘We’d better follow her,’ Nettie said hastily. ‘She’s very upset and I don’t blame her.’
Byron proffered his arm. ‘Come on, we’d better get back to the hotel before there’s another downpour. We’ll sort something out, so don’t worry.’
They hurried after Lisette and caught up with her in the hotel dining room where Constance, Percy and Robert were just finishing their breakfast. Their smiles faded when they looked up and saw Lisette’s grim expression. Their reactions to the news were predictable, but it was Robert who urged everyone to keep calm.
‘We need to get back to England,’ he said firmly. ‘Once there we can make our way to London, or wherever we decide to go. I don’t mind doing odd jobs in order to pay for necessities, and I’m sure that you two fit young men could turn your hands to some sort of work. We’ll be all right once we get home.’
‘Pa is right.’ Nettie emptied her purse on the table. ‘That is all I have.’
Robert emptied his pockets and the others followed suit. They pooled what little money they had, and, even after paying the hotel bill, there was just enough left to buy tickets for the next ferry to Dover.